1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices for the diposal of animal excrement left as droppings on the ground. More particularly the invention relates to a device for dissolving animal droppings left on the ground and converting the droppings into a solution which may be used as fertilizer.
2. Description of Background Art
The pet population in the United States and other countries is large and increasing in size. At the same time, the amount of open land available for pets such as dogs to exercise is decreasing as the human population increases. This shortage of exercise space is particularly acute in large metropolitan areas.
Because of the lack of toilet facilities for city dogs, particularly on long treks with their masters, dog owners have from time immemorial allowed their dogs to use municipal properties such as streets and parks as convenient locations for their dogs to relieves themselves.
Responding to the unpleasant and unhygienic aspects of dog droppings being deposited on city property, many cities have enacted ordinances requiring the owner of a dog who has left droppings on that property to remove the droppings.
In spite of the best efforts of municipalities to legislate away the problem of offensive dog droppings being left on public property, the problem still exists for various reasons. For example, some people are either unaware of regulations controlling the disposition of droppings left by their dog, or choose to ignore the regulations. Thus, as with any such regulation, it is unrealistic to expect one-hundred percent compliance. Also many dogs run free in some cities, contributing to the problem of noxious dog droppings.
Homeowners as well as municipal authorities must contend with the problem of unwanted dog droppings. Whether or not one is overly fastidious about the general appearance of his lawn, the sight and smell of a maladorous heap left by the neighbor's dog on one's lawn is an unpleasant, and all too frequent, experience.
When confronted by such an unpleasant spectacle as described above, the occupant of the property adjacent the violated area of lawn has basically two choices. He or she may choose to ignore the pile, allowing the combined action of insects, bacteria, fungi and flies, and the drying action of air, to biodegrade the pile. However, this process can take days or weeks, prolonging the unpleasantness of having a pile of animal excrement in close proximity to an inhabited structure. Moreover, the pile of animal excrement typically draws flies, and may be inadvertently stepped in by children or adults. Also, the organic chemicals present in animal excrement, although rich in nitrogen and possessing potentially beneficial fertilizing capabilities when diluted, can "burn" the lawn when left in a concentrated pile, leaving an unsightly brown spot in the lawn after the pile has biodegraded.
For the reasons mentioned above, a person whose lawn has been soiled by an errant dog often choose to promptly remove and dispose of the dog's droppings. Anyone who has been required to perform this cleanup operation can appreciate how unpleasant this task can be.
In response to a perceived need for a more desirable method of disposing of dog droppings, a number of devices have been proposed. For example, Zimmerman, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,408, Aug. 21, 1973, disclosed a "Hydro Disintegrator" for disintegrating aminal droppings by the combined action of impacting pins and water pressure. The device employs a spiked plate vertically reciprocateable within a cylindrical shield, a plurality of radially disposed water nozzle outlets for directing streams of water horizontally against the spikes to clean them, and a single, central vertically disposed nozzle outlet for directing a stream of water downwards, for the stated purpose of dissolving and dispersing droppings. Miller, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,937, July 13, 1976, "Dropping Disposing," discloses a device for fluidizing animal droppings. Other U.S. patents using streams of water for lawn care include, Gunn, 1,979,541, Nov. 6, 1934, "Fertilizer Distributor," and Peters, 3,464,629, Sept. 2, 1969, "Grass and Weed Eradicating Spray Unit."
The present invention was conceived of to provide an improved device for dissolving animal droppings deposited on the ground, and for converting the droppings into a solution which has beneficial fertilizer properties when absorbed by soil.